Chemical & Systems Biology | Stanford University School of Medicinehttps://chemsysbio.stanford.edu
Thu, 08 Dec 2016 17:39:10 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1Prions can pass on beneficial traits, Jarosz lab study findshttps://chemsysbio.stanford.edu/prions-can-pass-on-beneficial-traits-study-finds/
Tue, 04 Oct 2016 15:18:26 +0000http://chemsysbio.stanford.edu/?p=3918 Read More »]]>Researchers have found nearly 50 helpful prions in yeast and comparable proteins in humans, suggesting that this dreaded protein type can boost survival and plays a role in evolution. Prion proteins, best known as the agents of deadly brain disorders like mad cow disease, can help yeast survive hard times and pass the advantageous traits down to their offspring, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
The study, published in the Oct. 6 issue of Cell and already available online, indicates that in yeast, and possibly other organisms, including humans, protein-based inheritance is more widespread than previously believed — and could play a role in evolution.
]]>Identification of the Point of No Return for Cell-Cycle Entryhttps://chemsysbio.stanford.edu/meyer-labs-article-the-point-of-no-return-for-cell-cycle-entry-published-in-cell/
Thu, 04 Aug 2016 15:50:48 +0000http://chemsysbio.stanford.edu/?p=3833 Read More »]]>How cells make the decision to divide is a fundamental process in biology, and when this decision process is perturbed cancer or developmental diseases can occur. It was previously thought that the presence or absence of external growth factors or mitogens was the primary signal telling a cell when to enter the cell cycle and divide. In the June 30th issue of Cell, Dr. Steven Cappell, working with his colleagues in the Meyer Lab, shows how diverse cellular stresses can over-ride mitogen signaling and send cells back to a quiescent state. However, once the Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C) is irreversibly inactivated at the onset of S phase, cells become committed to the cell cycle and can no longer return to quiescence. Thus, cells execute the decision to divide just prior to replicating their DNA by inactivating the APC/C, ensuring that a damaged cell can still exit the cell cycle until the last moment. These results provide both a basic understanding of how cells replicate and have potential clinical applications for diseases such as cancer, wound healing, and neurodegenerative diseases, all of which involve the need to regulate the rate of proliferation.

]]>New theory suggests that negative cooperativity can make a switch-like response in signalinghttps://chemsysbio.stanford.edu/sanghoon-ha-and-james-ferrells-article-new-theory-suggests-that-negative-cooperativity-can-make-a-switch-like-response-in-signaling-in-science/
Tue, 02 Aug 2016 15:52:35 +0000http://chemsysbio.stanford.edu/?p=3834 Read More »]]>The standard theory on negative cooperativity where the binding of one ligand makes it harder for a second ligand to bind to multi-subunit receptors says that the higher the negative cooperativity, the more graded the receptor’s response. It turns out that there is a little algebraic shortcut built into the standard theory, but in many situations, especially intracellular signaling, this assumption does not hold.

In this work, Drs. Sanghoon Ha and James Ferrell re-derived the theory without this shortcut, and found that the results defy expectation. Negative cooperativity can endow a receptor’s response with a marked threshold, making it so that there will be no response until the ligand concentration is high enough to occupy half of the binding sites. This property can allow a receptor to filter out small inputs and then respond decisively to inputs above the threshold value. Drs. Ha and Ferrell went onto to test their new theory with a series of synthetic biology experiments and found that their results are in beautiful agreement with the new theory.

This new theory may have wide applicability since the literature reports that a number of receptors exhibit strong negative cooperativity in their ligand binding. It would be very interesting to know whether those receptors end up with thresholds in their responses as a result.

]]>SPARKing a new generation in translational research- TEDMED talk by Daria Mochly-Rosenhttps://chemsysbio.stanford.edu/sparking-a-new-generation-in-translational-research-tedmed-talk-by-daria-mochly-rosen/
Mon, 01 Aug 2016 21:37:35 +0000http://chemsysbio.stanford.edu/?p=3842Founder and Director of Stanford University’s SPARK program Daria Mochly-Rosen shares how she has liberated potential drug discoveries from academic research to industry, and discusses the countless, surprising lessons she has learned along the way.

]]>Oleg Jardetzky dies at 86https://chemsysbio.stanford.edu/oleg-jardetzky-dies-at-86/
Thu, 11 Feb 2016 18:05:44 +0000http://chemsysbio.stanford.edu/?p=3707 Read More »]]>Oleg Jardetzky, PhD and CSB Professor Emeritus was a pioneer in the use of nuclear magnetic resonance to understand the structure and dynamics of proteins, died Jan. 10 at his Stanford home after a period of declining health. He was 86.

Jardetzky retired and closed his Stanford laboratory in 2006 but continued to attend seminars and departmental functions for several more years. He also continued to publish, mostly historical articles, on the early history of NMR and on the Russian emigration due to the revolution of 1917.

His wife, Erika, died in 2008. In addition to Ted, he is survived by sons Alexander Jardetzky and Paul Jardetzky, four grandchildren and two step-grandchildren.

Memorial donations in memory of Jardetzky may be made to Macalester College (the Engel-Morgan-Jardetzky Distinguished Lecture on Science, Culture and Ethics), Davis and Elkins College (Tatiana Jardetzky Scholarship for Foreign Languages and Cultures), or the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University (the W.S. Jardetzky Lecture).

The 1st workshop will be on Wednesday 12/9 starting at 1 pm in CCSR room 4205.

The 2nd workshop will be on Thursday 12/10 starting at 1 pm in CCSR room 4205.

Barbara Goldstein will show how artists working in the public realm have used visual tools to tell complex stories. During the workshops students will explore how their own research can be expressed with visual and written tools including graphic novels, sizzle reels and three dimensional modeling. Students will work in teams and, at the end of the workshop, will have created a demonstration project.

To make these workshops successful Barbara will need 24 volunteers (6 groups of 4)- all supplies will be provided. All you need to bring is your thoughts and ideas on how to tell your story. Please contact Stefani Ferreira if you are interested in participating, these workshops are for everyone in the CSB Dept.

Karlene has been elected as a fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her contributions to the understanding of genome maintenance, particularly for elucidating molecular mechanisms of DNA damage signaling and cellular sources of genome instability.

In addition to Karlene, Bev Mitchell, also associated with CSB has also been elected by the AAAS as a fellow. They are two of nine professors to receive this honor.

]]>Mansour Prizes Awarded to 8 Studentshttps://chemsysbio.stanford.edu/mansour-prizes-awarded-to-8-students/
Mon, 26 Oct 2015 23:06:30 +0000http://chemsysbio.stanford.edu/?p=3626 Read More »]]>Congratulations to the following students on receiving a Mansour Prize:

Ed Grow and Joanna Wysocka have found that these viral proteins are well-placed to manipulate some of the earliest steps in our development by affecting gene expression and even possibly protecting the embryo’s cells from further viral infection.